ith patios now empty and tote bags filled with umbrellas instead beach towels, the time has come to focus on one of the main advantages of fall. Along with the change in weather, Vancouver’s chefs (forever seasonal) are switching over menus to include more of that comfort food. Get out and enjoy food being served to you, or learn to cook your own version at home (and suffer the consequences).

Award winning Cru Restaurant on Broadway sent one of the first emails of the season to indicate the fall menu change. At 1459 West Broadway, Chef Alana Peckham now lures in diners with miso-marinated sablefish, pan-seared scallops, Moroccan-spiced lamb chops and spiced vanilla bean risotto. There’s also great value in their prix-fixe menu - three courses are just $38. Choose mains such as beef tenderloin, tuna loin or sweet pea risotto.
Cru Restaurant

In downtown Vancouver, restaurant choices are plentiful; however don’t miss the chance to dine at Parkside during their wild game and mushroom menu from October 19-November 10. It’s a cozy spot at 1906 Haro and the perfect place for a fall meal. Try Chef Andrey Durbach’s Japanese wild mushroom consommé with wild boar gyoza, quail ravioli with sage butter and black truffle, or the wild boar schnitzel. A nice bottle of Pinot and you’re all set.
Parkside

Over in Kitsilano, there’s reason to rejoice if you're a pork lover. From October 17-20, Fuel Restaurant is featuring a “Whole Hog” menu. Chef Robert Belcham is crafting house-made charcuterie, stuffed pig’s ear, crispy sweetbreads and roasted saddle. Five courses are $55, with the choice to spend another $35 for Sommelier Tom Doughty’s select wine pairings. Of course the regular menu is still on for those who don’t want to go whole hog.
Fuel Restaurant

It’s worth the drive to Burnaby to dine at the classy Hart House Restaurant at Deer Lake during their “new twist on surf and turf” dinner menu. Executive Chef Dennis Peckham is cooking up a selection of steak and seafood options that include beef tenderloin, top sirloin, or AAA ribeye served with Nova Scotia Lobster, Alaska Scallops and local BC Spot Prawns. Why not get your friends together, rent a limo and hit the 'burbs in style?
Hart House

For those who prefer to stick closer to the downtown core you can join C Restaurant during October to celebrate their 10th anniversary with “10 courses to celebrate 10 years." Executive Chef Robert Clark and Chef de Cuisine Quang Dang present a menu filled with their signature dishes from the past and present. For $130 (plus $70 for the wine pairing) you can dine on lobster and sea urchin bisque, Fraser Valley waterfowl, and seven other delightful dishes. For an added bonus, they will open on Friday for lunch throughout the fall. You can have this menu or their a la carte dinner menu for half the price- I’d suggest taking the rest of the day off.
C Restaurant

If home cooked meals are more your style, you can take your cooking to the next level with some guidance from restaurateur Pino Luongo at one of one of Vancouver’s best Italian spots – Cioppino’s. His new cookbook "Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen" is now out. Barbara Jo’s "Books to Cooks" is hosting two events to celebrate Luongo's book launch. This Sunday October 21, witness “Iron Chef Italian: Meatball Battle:” a competition between the book’s authors Chef Pino Luongo and Chef Mark Strausman vs. La Buca’s Chef Andrey Durbach and Quattro’s owner Patrick Corsi. Who's got the best balls? You be the judge. On Monday, October 22 dine at Cioppinos for more recipes and wine pairings. $125 gets you dinner, wine, tax, tip and a copy of the book. Go home and recreate the evening by entertaining your closest friends- Italian style. Don’t forget the Barolo.
Cioppinos

I’d be seriously remiss if I didn’t mention the Westcoast Chocolate Festival from October 14-27. Held out in the tri-cities (that’s Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam for those of you who don’t leave Vancouver) the festival includes beer and chocolate pairing, “chicks and chocolate event," chocolate chip pancake breakfast, a chocolate-themed dinner at the Port Moody Galleria, and a chocolate poetry contest. Sounds addictive- and sugar-coma inducing.
For more information call: 604-939-8068

While we’re on the subject of chocolate, Thomas Haas fans should know that he has launched a new line of signature bars and drinking chocolate. Try the new tea bar series with hints of floral from Muzi Tea. There’s matcha with white chocolate, a chai bar with milk chocolate, and a rooibos and rose bar in both white and dark chocolate ($4.95 for a 54 g bar). I suggest heading to the North Vancouver location to stock up. Enjoy some delicious baked goods along with their expertly-made espressos.
Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates

There is no excuse to stay in this week, but if you must, make sure you are spending it in the kitchen with your new copy of Pino Luongo’s "Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen." Pour yourself a glass of Prosecco and put on the Sopranos. Perhaps you really are Italian after all.